Blog

Spring comes to our house! Ume begin to bloom, and many spring flowers are flowering prettily in the garden. The temperature has become warmer in the daytime. It is very comfortable temperature for me.

I asked a professional gardener to prun garden trees and shrubs around my house. It is difficult for us to prun beautify. There are many garden trees in my garden, so this work takes 5 days!! In Japan, A gardener needs to prun so that you can see tree branches because pepope enjoy viewing tree branches of various shapes.

Today is my daughter’s frist birthday! She became one year old. March 3 is Dolls ‘Festival in Japan. The day is an occasion to pray for young girls’ growth and happiness. So We held a party for my daughter. For this day, I made a lot of dishes. I use to make many type of sushi when I worked at a supermarket, so I was able to use my past experience and skills. In Japan, a baby of one year old carry a Mochi (rice cakes) on the back in birthday. My husband pounding mochi yesterday for this day. My parents also invited me and celebrated her birthday together.

We decided to make a walking map of house and surrounding streets for guest who come to stay at Yokoya Farm. We asked Ms. Mika Takada to draw the map. I think the map become very cute. When flowers bloom, vegetables grow, and apple trees bear fruit, I add these with colored pencils to black-and-white map. I wish that it would be like a welcome card for each guest.

March 3 is the day of the hina dolls’ Festival. That festival is centering on younggirls’growth and happiness. I displayed hina dolls at a tatami room. This hina dolls is my daughter’s one. My mother bought her that dolls. In Japan, there is a custom that grandparents buy hina dolls for a granddaughter when the first hina festival by her. Hina dolls supposedly take away the bad fortune of the girl who owned them. It is said that it’s better to have your own set of hina dolls rather than take over a set from your mom or ancestors. I need put hina dolls away by April 3 because tradition says that when you forget to put away, your daughter can’t marry(>_<)

Ume (= Japanese plam) is need pruning in winter season. I pruned some Ume trees in my garden, and I brought the cut branches into the room. Two weeks later, Ume blossoms began blooming because the room is warm !! Ume blossoms is very pretty ♡ The blossome of the real Ume trees blooms in March. Ume blossom tells us spring.

Sankurou was held in my town last Saturday. Sankuro is local fire festival. Primary school children gather pine of New year’s decorations and builds a tower. Then, they set fire to it and grill Dango (sweet rice dumpling) and eat. That festival has been held since a long time ago in all over the Matsumoto area . That was the first time for my daughter.

My friends (a married couple) opened Cafe near Matsumoto Castle. They renovated old Ryokan drastically theirself for 6 months. In Japan,there is no culture of renovation, but will increase. “Share build” is receiving attention lately.